In an ideal world I would have my own make up artist at hand every morning afternoon and evening, but in a realistic world I’m not a multimillionaire, so I’m left to create my own masterpieces. Is Michelangelo needed the perfect brushes to create Sistine chapel, I also need the right tools to paint my face.
Foundation Brush
- Artis Oval 7 £48.00
Simply dot a small amount of your liquid or cream foundation around your face, and glide the brush along the whole face. Watch it blend out seamlessly for a flawless medium coverage. For high coverage, add some more product, and begin to glide again.
- Beauty Blender £16.00
The original foundation sponge, eliminates visible lines and streaks using a stippling motion. The beauty blender is best used wet, so soak the sponge in water, squeeze out the excess water, and repeat until the beauty blender has nearly doubled in size. Dot the product all over the face, then use the rounded base or side to lightly bounce the product around the face. The result, is a sheer to medium airbrushed look.
Concealer Brush
- Beauty Blender £16.00
Use the blender wet. Use the tip of the beauty blender to dab in concealer. The tip allows you to get very close to the inner eye, lower lid and dot on concealer in required areas.
- Zoeva Concealer brush £9.00
This concealer and buffer brush flawlessly applies and blends concealer. Soft to the touch and densely packed it gives great coverage. It’s small rounded tip is perfectly sized for under the eye.
Powder Brush
Any large soft bristled brush will give a light coverage for all over the face using pressed or loose powder.
- MAC 150 £34.50
- Zoeva 106 £13.00
Contour and Bronze Brush
- Charlotte Tilbury Powder and Sculpt Brush £35.00
This brush is well worth the investment. With a multitude of uses it can be used all over the face as a powder brush, the sides can be used to contour and sculpt out cheekbones and the tapered tip is perfect for highlighting the bridge of your nose, cupids bow and just on top of the cheekbones.
- Illamasqua Blush Up Brush £29.00
This uniquely shaped brush allows you to chisel out the perfect cheekbones as well as contouring your nose. Position directly under your cheekbone and softly sweep upwards for a natural yet defined contour.
Highlighter Brush
- Zoeva 129 Luxe Fan Brush £11.00
- MAC 184 Duo Fibre Fan Brush £20.00
The fan shape allows for featherweight application of all highlighters. Simply dust on the product and then sweep gently over the top of the cheekbones. Gradually build up depending on the amount of highlighting you want.
Blush Brush
- Zoeva 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek Brush £13.00
- MAC 116 £28.00
Dab into blush then sweep across, focusing on the apples on your cheeks. Just remember where blusher is concerned, a little goes a long way, so please try not to be heavy handed!
Eyebrow Brush
Any stiff, short haired brush will do the job. Most eyebrow products such as Benefits Ka-Brow, come with brushes. But if not others are readily available.
- Bobbi Brown Eyebrow Brush £22.50
- NYX Pro brush – dual brow £8.50
The NYX brow brush is particularly good given its double ended. It provides a well defined yet natural brow look. The angled side gives a clean precise application and can be used for either cream or powder products. Whilst the spoolie on the other end allows for blending and shaping with a much more natural look.
Eye brushes
After a good foundation brush, Eye brushes are quite possibly the second most important set of brushes you will own. So this is where you may want to invest your money. There are essentially only 4 brushes required, a large blender brush, a blender brush, a flat shader brush and a smudger brush. You can use any brand you want but for the sake of availability I have listed three readily available and renowned brands.
- Large Blender Brush
- MAC 224 Tapered Blending Brush £23.50
- Zoeva 228 Luxe Crease Brush £9.00
- Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush £11.00
- Blender Brush
- MAC 217 Blending Brush £20.00
- Zoeva 227 Luxe Soft Definer Brush £9.00
- Sigma E25 Blending Brush £10.25
- Flat Shader Brush
- MAC 239 Eye Shader Brush £21.00
- Zoeva 232 Luxe Classic Shader Brush £9.00
- Sigma Soft Focus Shader Brush £12.50
- Smudger Brush
- MAC 219 Pencil Brush £21.00
- Zoeva 230 Pencil Brush £9.00
- Sigma E32 Exact Blend Brush £10.00